


Warming The Heart

by x_Lazart_x



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Fluff, Galo keeps him warm, Getting Together, Kissing, Lio is always cold, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-24 00:51:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21329527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/x_Lazart_x/pseuds/x_Lazart_x
Summary: If Galo hadn't been watching Lio so closely he might have missed the fact that he seemed to constantly be cold. Naturally, he takes it upon himself to make sure Lio doesn't do something dumb, like freezing to death.Or "The 5 Times Galo Kept Lio Warm + 1 Time He Returned The Favor"
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 16
Kudos: 371





	Warming The Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yikescaninot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yikescaninot/gifts).

Springing up from where he was crouching, Galo let out a yell as he stretched, muscles protesting from having been in one position too long. Around him everyone kept working on the clean up effort, not even sparing a glance in his direction, more than used to the show and dance by now. The sun was starting to dip low in the sky, a chill settling over the city as the day’s efforts started to wrap up. A week after the city had been torn apart it was starting to look halfway decent again. 

Shaking his legs to get some feeling back into them, Galo picked his way through the other workers, humming under his breath as he made a beeline for headquarters, subconsciously searching for Lio as he did so. Today was the first time Lio had been working in a different section of the city, helping out the Chief with something or other, and Galo had missed his company throughout the day. However, concentrating on his work as a distraction meant he’d gotten a lot done! Working up both an appetite and a sweat was definitely a plus. Pushing a few damp strands of hair from his face, he immediately perked up when a flash of blond caught his eye. 

“Lio!” Waving both arms wildly to catch his attention, Galo raced over, grin stretching across his face as he knocked down a few stacks of debris, ignoring the indignant shouts that followed him. As soon as he got close enough, arms stretched wide, Galo threw himself forward for a hug. A hand to the chest stopped him in his tracks and his shoulders slumped at the rejection. 

“You’ll get me all sweaty,” Lio protested, but the smile he gave more than made up for the lack of a hug. 

“How was your day? Did the Chief have you working hard? We found the coolest thing earlier-” Slinging an arm around his shoulder, Galo steered him in the direction of the fire house, talking a mile a minute to give a detailed play by play of the day, highlighting all the best things they’d managed to salvage. “But enough about me, what were you doing?” 

“We were getting the Burnish settled. Some went back to their families and a few are helping out here,” Lio said, peering up at him, excitement written all over his face. “It’s been a really good day.” They’d talked about the Burnish going back to their previous homes, for the ones who wanted to, but Galo hadn’t realized it would be happening so soon. As leader of the Burnish, Lio had vowed to stay as long as it took to make sure everyone got settled. 

“That’s awesome,” Galo said, giving his shoulders a squeeze, even as a sinking feeling started in the pit of his stomach. “How many are left?” 

“Nearly everyone wanted to try and get back home. The majority packed up and left today. The rest are going to try and build their lives here for now.” 

“What about you?” he asked, shooting for casual and missing by a long shot, even to his own ears. 

“I think I’m going to stay too. I just figured out how to work your stove, it seems like a hassle to move again already,” Lio mused, rolling his eyes when Galo let out an excited whoop, pulling him into a hug. 

“I told you I’d cook for you anyway,” Galo reminded him, trying not to think about the scary amount of almost fires that had occurred in the last week. “Let me go check in with the Chief and then if you’re ready, we can head home?” 

Without waiting for a response he hurried off, calling out greetings to the Burnish who were hanging around outside the fire station. While they tried to find accommodations for everyone, they’d been making temporary use of the bunk beds here. Lio had originally insisted on staying with his people but there wasn’t enough room for everyone. Guiera had ultimately convinced him to take Galo up on the offer to use his couch. 

It was like having a slumber party every night!

Making quick work of his report, goosebumps ran up his arms as the wind picked up, chilling the sweat that was still clinging to his skin. Being summarily dismissed, he grabbed his jacket, throwing it over his shoulders as he headed back to collect Lio.

Finding him playing games with a couple of kids, he was about to go interrupt when he noticed the shaking. It was so subtle, he almost missed it. A faint tremor, seemingly originating from the top of Lio’s head and working its way down his entire body. When he got close enough, he was almost certain he could hear teeth clacking together. Concern flooding him, Galo quickly closed the distance between them, removing his jacket to wrap it around Lio, arms circling him to try and zip it up. Lio jerked in his hold, fists automatically coming up, before he turned and caught sight of him. 

“What are you doing?” Lio asked, amusement colouring his tone. 

“You were shivering!” Galo said, ignoring the fact he could feel the cold seeping into him now too. He’d be fine. It really wasn’t that far to his apartment anyway and Lio definitely needed it more than he did. 

“I was not,” Lio denied, indignantly turning to face him down. There was movement under the jacket, most likely Lio crossing his arms in that cute way he did when he was trying to make a point. 

“You looked cold,” Galo insisted, reaching out to tug the zipper up another inch. 

“I’m never cold.” It was said with such assurance, Galo believed him. For a split second.

“You were shaking.” Herding him in the direction of home, Galo made sure to situate himself just slightly in front of Lio and off to the side, blocking the majority of the wind. Despite the protests, Lio made no effort to hand back the jacket. They continued to bicker back and forth before the conversation inevitably turned to what they wanted to have for dinner that night. Some things just take priority. 

* * *

Ever since that day, Galo had been watching Lio closely. Well, more closely. Which wasn’t weird or anything, he just wanted to make sure he was okay. Everything about him was fascinating. But what he’d noticed was that Lio seemed to get cold a  _ lot _ . He never complained, and rarely ever brought his own jacket anywhere, so Galo made it his mission to ensure Lio didn’t freeze to death. 

His first point of business had been to invest in a good thermos and then to stock up on Lio’s favourite teas, information he’d gathered through living together. Every afternoon, a few hours after lunch, he’d use his break to make the trek back to the fire station. Delivering a freshly brewed thermos of tea to Lio, the smile he got in thanks was always enough to send his heart into overdrive. If Lio had figured out why he was doing it he never said anything, just continuing to gratefully accept the offering. 

Galo would always take the opportunity to pull Lio into a conversation, time slipping away from them as they got sucked into whatever the topic of the day was. Sometimes it was ridiculous things, like which country would have the most outrageous pizza toppings. Other times it was him learning about how Lio had became not only a Burnish, but the leader of the entire gang. No matter what it was, Galo was riveted by every word that came out of his mouth. 

That had been step one in his plan. Step two was to leave work early one day, after begging Remi to let him borrow his car for a few hours. Slipping away without Lio noticing was easy enough. Delivering his tea a little earlier than usual, he’d casually mentioned they were working on a big collapse during the afternoon so if he wasn’t around, that would be why. That had garnered him a funny look but nevertheless he was adamant it had worked. There wasn’t any real reason not to tell Lio where he was going, it wasn’t some big surprise or anything. Even if it was, Lio was still insisting he didn’t get cold easily, despite all the evidence saying otherwise, so it would hardly be something he would admit to being excited about. 

Shaking his head to clear away the muddled thoughts, Galo concentrated on the road. If he so much as got a ding on the vehicle Remi would never let him borrow it again and he was the only one with a car. His storage unit wasn’t far from the apartment at least. It was tiny, barely big enough to hold all his winter stuff but it sufficed. Extra blankets, some big winter coats, a snowboard from one winter when he was sure he could become a pro, all piled hazardously on top of each other. Also, most importantly, his kotatsu. 

As the weeks stretched out, the winter chill had started moving in. The still, deep cold that would sink into your bones, impossible to shake off once it had set in. While his apartment wasn’t big, the main heater was situated at the bedroom door, meaning that during the night Lio wasn’t getting the use of it. It wasn’t powerful enough to heat the whole apartment, so it was really best to keep his door closed in order to benefit from it at all. 

Which left him awake, worrying over Lio late into the night. He’d tried to get Lio to take his room, insisting he would be more than happy to take the couch for awhile but he’d been shot down. Repeatedly. So he’d made the trip to pull out all his winter necessities, a little earlier than usual but it was absolutely needed. 

The effort of dragging the kotatsu up to his apartment, piled high with everything else he’d acquired, was extensive. It only made good sense to sit down for a few minutes afterwards, just to rest his eyes. 

The apartment door slamming closed jerked him from his sleep. Instantly alert for intruders, he was preparing for a potential fight when Lio’s voice filled the space. 

“Galo? I’m home.” Inexplicably the words rendered Galo speechless. His mind, already fuzzy with sleep, refused to power up enough to form words in response. “Galo?” Standing in the bedroom doorway squinting at him, Lio looked a little pale. That kicked him into high gear. 

“Sorry sorry I fell asleep! Let me make some tea,” Galo said, stumbling up as a wide yawn tugged at his jaw. 

“I already put the kettle on,” Lio told him, migrating back to the living room with Galo hot on his heels. “What’s all of this? Is it the reason you left early today? Leaving all of us to make up the work, tsk.”

“It is! It’s started to get colder out now, so I thought you could use the kotatsu at night,” he explained, happy at the thought of taking care of Lio. 

“I don’t get cold,” Lio denied, sprawling out on a chair as he side eyed the mountain of blankets, yet to be folded up and stored away until needed. 

“See I was thinking,” Galo said. And it was true. He had been. In particular, he’d been thinking about Lio, probably more than was considered normal but no one had to know that. Regardless, it had given him an idea. 

“That’s always dangerous,” Lio teased, the words naturally falling out, the way they always did when Galo was sharing thoughts. Still, he sat forward, attentively listening for whatever it was Galo was about to say. 

“You’re always cold because you don’t have Promare anymore,” Galo said, getting straight to the point. Lio rarely talked about what it was like now, without the need to burn running through his veins. It made perfect sense though. He was used to being able to instantly set things on fire if he was cold and now he didn’t have that ability. Obviously that would be hard for him to come to terms with. Lio was staring at him, face scrunched up as he seemed to think about how to respond. 

“That couldn’t possibly be it,” he finally said after the silence had dragged on just a few minutes too long. “Are you going to set up the table tonight?” Rather than pushing the point, Galo let him change the subject. 

“I’ll do it right now!” Jumping into action, he grabbed the kotatsu, situating it in the middle of the living room and knocking over a lamp in the process. Laughing, Lio moved out of the danger zone, retreating to the safety of the kitchen to prepare the tea while Galo went to work. Maybe he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet, which was fine! Galo would just continue to make sure he was taken care of and wait until he was ready to talk. 

* * *

Galo let out a high pitched scream, lurching forward with the intent of getting away from the ice blocks that had suddenly found their way up the back of his shirt. Tripping over his feet, he caught himself on the back of the couch, whipping around to glare at Lio.

“What was that,” he squeaked out before clearing his throat. 

“You looked a little warm,” Lio said, voice conveying innocence while the smirk on his face was anything but. Hissing, Galo backed away, squinting suspiciously, half expecting Lio to lunge forward in a full frontal attack. 

“Admit you were cold!” Galo demanded, keeping a wide berth. 

“You just looked warm,” Lio reiterated, perching on the edge of the couch, hands tucked under his legs. Without taking his eyes off him, Galo reached out, pawing the air until he connected with his desk, following along the edge to the drawer. Digging around, he finally landed on the pair of gloves he’d stored there for safe keeping. Flinging them in Lio’s direction, he allowed himself a brief second to be impressed by how quickly they were snatched out of the air. 

“You’re evil. I should let you freeze,” Galo muttered, skirting around the room, staying close to the wall. 

“You like me too much to let me freeze,” Lio said, slipping on the gloves that were way too big for him. “Are you calling it a night?” 

“Yeah will you be okay out here? You could-” 

“I’ll be fine,” Lio cut him off before he could offer up the bedroom again. “Sleep tight.” The words brought forth images of being caught up in his blankets so tightly he couldn’t move and had to wiggle along the ground like a worm. Shaking off that disturbing image, Galo bade Lio a goodnight. 

Snuggled up in bed, heater going, blankets piled high, Galo started drifting off into the land of nod. He was half way between wakefulness and dreaming when his bedroom door slid open with a low hiss, the faint glow from the street lights acting as a backlight against Lio’s silhouette. 

“Lio? S’rythin’mkay?” The majority of the words were muffled by the blanket pulled up over his face but it didn’t seem to matter. Entering the room, Lio closed the door gently behind him, taking the few steps to get to the side of the bed. 

“It’s cold out there,” Lio whispered, as if saying it too loudly would somehow make it real. Chuckling, brain too fuzzy with sleep to come up with words in response, he lifted the corner of the blanket, scooting over. 

It would be a tight squeeze but that didn’t stop Lio from slipping in beside him, immediately pressing up against his back. Icicle toes crept up the back of his calves, while simultaneously little blocks of ice crept along his waist. Tensing, he snatched the wandering hands up, engulfing them in his own as he tried to rub some heat into them. The toes were too far away or they’d have been getting a rub down as well. 

Marginally more awake now, he rolled over, letting his back press against the wall as he squinted through the dark at Lio. He’d inched closer again, warm puffs of air ghosting over his skin with every breath taken. Galo was suddenly hyper aware of their proximity. If he wasn’t so tired after such a long day he might have had the energy to freak out a little.

When gentle hands came out of nowhere to trail along his jawline, he thought he might actually be able to spare the energy after all. Then his face was being cupped, small hands the only thing keeping him together as his breath caught in his throat. Was this okay? Was he taking advantage? Surely Lio didn’t think he  _ needed _ this in order to allow him in here? Should Galo insist on going to sleep on the couch? 

Lips brushed against his own. The touch was so soft, so fleeting, for one wild second he was convinced he’d imagined it. He wanted it so badly that he was now dreaming while awake. Or was he actually dreaming? Another brief kiss, this one with a hint more pressure, and Galo ceased to function. Brain grinding to a halt, every available brain cell went into mesmerizing the feel of those lips as warmth flooded his chest, leaving him giddy. 

“Stop thinking and go to sleep,” Lio instructed, ducking his head to snuggle into Galo’s neck, body burrowing against his side, stealing his warmth. Galo instinctively wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close without a second thought. 

Lips tingling, he rested his cheek against the top of Lio’s head. Listening to his breathing evening out, Galo let the sound of it lull him to sleep. Hopefully this was just the beginning. Hopefully there would be many more nights cuddled together, and many days filled with those kisses. Because Lio?

Lio lit a fire in him, one he had no intention of ever trying to fight. 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey! Ash..... I have no idea what happened here but...enjoy? Thank you for the beautiful Galo, he gave me life 
> 
> I'm trying to get a decent word count for NaNo so if you have anything you'd like to see (Promare/Haikyu!!/BNHA, TGCF) just drop me a note:
> 
> [my tumblr! ](http://x-lazart-x.tumblr.com/) and [my twitter! ](https://twitter.com/x_Lazart_x)


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